Patient samples often are analyzed for the presence of analytes to determine, for example, if a patient is carrying a disease, has an infection, or has been using drugs. Analytes typically are detected with immunoassay testing using antigen-antibody reactions. Conventionally, such tests have been carried out in specialized laboratories using diagnostic test systems that are large and expensive. The need for on-site examination, however, is growing rapidly. This need currently is being met by various point-of-care diagnostic test systems that can be used in a wide variety of different locations, such as hospitals, emergency rooms, health clinics, nursing homes, practitioner offices, and the homes of patients. The deployment of such point-of-care diagnostic test systems depends on the ability to keep costs below relatively low price points. In addition, point-of-care diagnostic test systems should be relatively easy to use by persons with little or no training. Ideally, such point-of-care diagnostic test systems should be capable of automatically performing diagnostic tests with minimal user input.
The relatively low price points required for the large-scale adoption of point-of-care diagnostic test systems typically results in the use of analyte testing components that are less sensitive than laboratory diagnostic test systems. What are needed are high-sensitivity point-of-care diagnostic test systems and methods that can be produced within the cost constraints that are required for large-scale adoption.